Admiration Rejection
by MakenshiCrona
Summary: Poor Gopher's gift gets rejected by Noah, but after he meets a certain pink-haired girl that he didn't catch the name of, somehow he feels a bit better.


**A/N: Merry (late) Christmas! Alright, I know that some of you are stabbing some needles through voodoo doll's heads right now because I never update **_**anything**_**. Why I am I two days late to posting this? Because my parents banned me from the computer from the start of Christmas break 'till today.**

**Me, being the creepy loser I am, may be the only one who has this imaginary pairing of GopherXCrona set up in their mind. So, I am starting my tiny little lighter-sized fire of this pairing. **

***Crona is a girl in this. If you don't like, change she to he, her to him, and girl to boy.**

**** Some spoilers for the manga ****

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

…

"Noah-sama!"

The voice rang through the halls of the large castle like basilica, the gray stones giving the dungeon feel when one walked through. It was their hideout, and no one had found their location so far, Justin seemed perfectly content there, saying he was able to worship the Kishin in such a proper place.

"Noah-sama!" Gopher called again.

The boy was searching for his master, a small red box placed in the middle of his two palms, today was a special day, even if he didn't celebrate it for the cause, he wanted the give something to his caretaker. Gopher wasn't sure where the man he so looked up to was, but he was determined to find him in the large church, where he had gotten lost so many times in the couple years he had lived there.

Finally, as he rounded a hall, Gopher heard the familiar voice of Noah and Justin, the two men chattering in their boredom. Excitement building up in him, Gopher rushed to face his idol, clutching the box to chest so that it wouldn't fall.

Justin and Noah looked up with curiosity when they heard the frantic footsteps hurrying towards them, finding that it was just the over-obedient boy Gopher, ringed blue eyes sparkling happily. Trying to catch his breath, Gopher made his way to Noah, hands nervously clutching his present like it was his heart being given away.

Taking a deep breath, Gopher shoved the box in front of him, holding it out for Noah's taking, throat dry as he watched with expectation. The tanned man raised an eyebrow at the boy's actions, raising the front of his taxi cab cap with the back of his hand, brown eyes looking at the bright red box being held out to him that adorned a green bow at the top.

"What's this?" he asked.

Gopher blinked, "A present for you, Noah-sama. It's Christmas."

The man laughed, "Ah, Gopher, don't bother with something so stupid as that. Go run along."

The words were like a stake to the heart, but the boy kept on a neutral expression, taking his leave, his colorful gift held close. Gopher knew that Noah probably hadn't meant for the sentences to be hurtful, but it hurt all the same. He sat down in the middle of the long winding hall, leaned against the stone wall, fingering the shiny and reflective paper that wrapped the present. He had worked so hard to get such a thing too, perhaps he would approach it a different way later.

It had been about a week since the shinigami and his friends had escaped their clutches, he and Noah had left and come home and Justin was waiting to set out to find the Kishin for a day or so. Noah had been angry from one of his collection pieces had slipped through his hands, but eventually calmed down and was carefree as ever, saying that he'd catch the shinigami again and that he wouldn't escape that time.

Then there were footsteps, Justin, coming down the hall. The betraying priest was humming happily along to whatever tune he was listening to, loyally clutching onto the necklace that hung from his neck, tracing along the carved Kishin eyes. When he noticed Gopher sitting along the wall, Justin raised a blonde eyebrow, but seeing that the boy was just gloomily staring at his rejected gift, shrugged it off and continued.

Sitting in his rejection, Gopher raised his head when he felt a rush of wind by him, seeing that Justin was hurriedly running to get Noah. Standing up, Gopher peeked in the room Justin ran in, listening to what the priest had to say.

"Noah-san, there is someone for you at the door." Is what Justin said.

Gopher's eyes widened, who had found out where they were? And who was it that knew Noah-sama?

"Who is it?" Noah asked.

"I do not know. It's a witch."

Noah seemed to perk up at this, "Really? Escort them in."

Seeing Justin head in his direction, Gopher stepped back, the priest completely oblivious to him. Gopher edged along the wall, waiting for the visitor to pass by to get a good look at them. Several minutes later, three sets of footsteps came down the hall, one of them padding, like they were barefooted.

Blue eyes narrowing, Gopher waited, and finally the three immerged, Justin in front. Behind him two others were walking, one was a grown woman, the other a teenage girl. The woman had black hair that spike out, with two long strands braided down the middle that rested on her chest, she wore black clothing that had a spider web design web out from around the collar. The shirt had no sleeves, and her pants where spacious, finally wrapping tight around her calf, and she wore no shoes.

The teenager wore a long black dress, with a long white collar and cuffs at the wrists. The pink hair was messy and hung in her face, barely out of her eyes, which where a pale blue with weary lines underneath them. The dress ended at her calves, where below she had high-cuffed button up shoes that were black.

When they passed him, the obvious witch smiled at him, one that had the feel of an evil stepmother looking at her to be stepdaughter. Gopher glared at her and looked at the girl that was following behind her, she was clutching onto her arm, but then moved it up to her shoulder, rubbing it as if it was sore.

Gopher followed them with his eyes, walking behind them when there was enough distance to where he wouldn't be suspiciously noticed. As he walked, Gopher noticed that the girl a meter or so in front of him stiffened, as if sensing his presence. Perhaps she was a meister of some sort.

When the three entered their destination, Gopher watching from a distance, Noah jumped up from the seat he was in and went opened armed to the witch.

"Ah, Medusa-chan! How long has it been since I've seen you?" He exclaimed.

Gopher's eyes narrowed, 'Noah-sama knows her?'

The witch named Medusa laughed, "Hello to you as well, Noah."

The hands on Gopher's present crinkled as he gripped it tightly in anger, 'She's not using honorifics! Who is she?'

Noah looked over the woman in front of him, "You've changed drastically since I'd last seen you."

Medusa smirked as she looked herself over, "Well, of course. My original body was sliced in half, so I had to resort to using a little girl, but when my sister died, I took her body instead. The bright side is that I've gained some new abilities!"

"Oh," Noah replied, "I kind of miss the color of your hair though.'

Medusa gave a rueful sigh, "I know, I don't think black hair suits me. Honey matched my eyes so much better."

The collector chuckled, "No need to worry, Medusa-chan, you're lovely as ever. Merry Christmas."

"Is that what today is?" Medusa asked.

Noah had a feigned look of disappointment, "So I guess that means no present for me?"

If the words before hadn't hurt Gopher enough, that did it. He had offered Noah his gift and had been rejected!

Gopher grit his teeth, 'They're acting so familiar with each other!'

"Oh, since when do you celebrate the birth of Christ?" Medusa asked.

Noah shrugged and finally let his eyes land on the teenage girl, "I see Crona has grown a lot, too."

'He knows her too!' Gopher was ready to rip his upper lip off with the way he was biting it.

The girl, Crona, looked up at Noah fearfully as he neared her, "Me-medusa-sama? Wh-who…?"

Medusa looked to her child, "Ah, yes, Crona. This is Noah."

"N-noah…?"

"He's your father."

Two teenagers at that moment were hit with the shock with grand force, Crona taking a step back from the man, eyes wide, and Gopher freezing entirely, dropping the gift onto the floor with a small thunk that went by unheard by the others. He picked it up quickly.

Crona felt like she would throw up, "My…. Father?"

'Her… Father?' Gopher glared in their direction, 'They look absolutely nothing alike!"

Noah grinned as he ruffled her hair, "She grew up nice! Absolutely adorable!"

Medusa sighed in exasperation, "Crona, go along, let me talk to him."

"B-but, I don't know my way around-"

"Crona."

"Yes, m'am." She replied, bowing to her mother as she left the room, slipping out of Noah's grasp.

Noah watched his daughter leave, "Brought her up strictly I see."

His lover smiled, "What would be the use to a disobedient child?"

Crona left the room, and upon entering the hall, bumped into something, stumbling back a step or two. It turned out to be a boy, he had black hair that feel above his shoulders and ringed blue eyes that she'd felt she'd seen somewhere similar (Death the Kid ;D since he has ringed eyes).

"S-sorry." She apologized, walking farther away.

Gopher caught up beside her and stared as they walked, studying her features. The girl noticed this and squirmed uncomfortably.

"You don't look like Noah-sama." He told her.

Crona blinked, "I-I don't… think so either."

"Are you sure you're his daughter?" Gopher questioned.

The girl stopped walking when they were in the spacious area of the basilica, "I-I don't know."

Gopher sighed and leaned against one of the many benches that were rowed in the preaching room, holding the bridge of his nose with one hand, the rejected present in his other. Crona sat down, twisting the cloth at her knee in her hand, looking up at the boy that was glaring at her with frightened eyes.

"W-why do you keep staring at me?" Crona asked, moving away from him because the look he was giving was starting to scare her.

"Why did Noah-sama pay more attention to you in that minute or so than he did to me the whole day?" he exclaimed.

Crona was about a meter or two away from the raging boy, finally feeling it was a safe distance to respond, "I-I don't know! S-Stop asking me questions I can't answer!"

With an exasperated huff, Gopher plopped into the bench, tired of standing up, and began to grumble things that Crona couldn't quite understand. The girl noticed the small red box that was lying in his hands and cocked her head in curiosity.

"Hm, what's that?" she finally asked.

Gopher looked up to her with eyes that made her shrink back, "What's what?"

"T-the b-box in your hand…"

Crona was about to hyperventilate, she'd never stuttered like this before as far as she remembered. The last time she had been this confused was when she had faced that blue-haired enemy that kept talking about 'Maka'. Who this Maka was? She didn't know. She actually didn't know a lot of things that seemed like she forgot. But shaking her head, the girl tried to put her thoughts back on the one in front of her.

Gopher deflated as he stared at the harmless object, "… it was supposed to be a gift to Noah-sama."

Crona blinked, "Have you not given it to him yet?"

"He rejected it." The boy answered bluntly.

"Oh." Crona answered.

The box looked pretty, she thought, she'd never seen something wrapped in such bright beautiful paper-or maybe she had, but couldn't recall- , "Did he not like what was in it?"

"No…" Gopher replied sadly, "I offered it, but… he didn't want it."

Crona scooted closer to the boy, staying maybe a third of a meter away, "Oh…"

There was no other way to respond to him.

"W-what was it supposed to be?" Crona asked.

Gopher sighed, "Nothing important."

Suddenly, to the swordsman's surprise, Gopher tossed the small present at her, watching as her caught it out of instinct. Crona didn't even need to ask the question with the way her blue eyes were looking at him in such grand confusion.

"It's nothing you want, but I need to get rid of it somehow." Gopher told her, staring at the deep gray cement that was the floor.

"Th-thank… you?" Crona stuttered, not sure what to say or do.

Gopher got up, "Sure. Merry Christmas."

As the boy walked away, a fist wound around the edge of his black and gold vest, Crona watched him. He seemed kind of like a dog to its abusing master, it was kind of sad actually. When he disappeared from sight, the swordsman looked down wearily to the small box on her lap, smiling at the small green bow perched happily on top.

Hesitantly, she looped a finger in the green bow and carefully slid it off, noticing with awe that the red paper was folded at the top so that it gracefully opened when the bow was pulled. There was a brown cardstock box that had an open top and in the middle of it was a small electronic device.

Staring at it in confusion, Crona gingerly picked it up, looking at the small screen. It was a tracking device, she realized, and with great curiosity, the swordsman looked to see what was being tracked. Death the Kid; located at Death City, Nevada.

Death the Kid? That seemed to ring a dim bell, but trying to remember put to much stress on Crona, lately she'd been trying to bring up memories she didn't even think existed. Ever since that blue-haired enemy mentioned a 'Maka', Crona had been pulling at the corners of her mind to see if she had meet one named 'Maka'.

Well, Crona felt like it was something special- it _had_ been given to her- but if she kept it, Medusa would surely get mad. So, Crona rewrapped the box (it wasn't that hard actually), and sat it on her lap, if Medusa told her to get rid of it, then she would. But if she didn't, Crona wanted to hold on to it.

…

**A/N: I'm lame. **


End file.
